When teams "reach" for a player.....

[AFJF]

First off I was pleased with the Jets draft but like a lot of people I feel like they reached on a few of their picks while teams like the Bills took a player WAYYYY ahead of where anybody could have expected with their first pick

I understand that deciding if a team "reached" or not can be debated on many points but then you get guys who go two, three, or four rounds earlier than anticipated which doesn't add up so I was wondering...

what are the chances that teams are contacting these players' agents and saying "listen, your guy will probably get taken in round six or seven with such and such a dollar value to sign for. If we take your guy earlier, can you promise us a smooth contract negotiation since he'll clearly be getting better money from us in rd. 4 as opposed to a being picked in rd. 6 or 7"

Just a thought that might explain some of these otherwise unexplainable reaches IMO.

[Sperm Edwards]

First off I was pleased with the Jets draft but like a lot of people I feel like they reached on a few of their picks while teams like the Bills took a player WAYYYY ahead of where anybody could have expected with their first pick

I understand that deciding if a team "reached" or not can be debated on many points but then you get guys who go two, three, or four rounds earlier than anticipated which doesn't add up so I was wondering...

what are the chances that teams are contacting these players' agents and saying "listen, your guy will probably get taken in round six or seven with such and such a dollar value to sign for. If we take your guy earlier, can you promise us a smooth contract negotiation since he'll clearly be getting better money from us in rd. 4 as opposed to a being picked in rd. 6 or 7"

Just a thought that might explain some of these otherwise unexplainable reaches IMO.

Doubtful. The agent would just put out feelers to the other teams to start a buzz. Anything to get his player(s) drafted as many slots earlier as possible. It's a good thought, but you're assuming agents to act as honorable humans like the rest of us, when in reality they're more like Smizzy.

[mbn007]

Agents are always out for the best deals for their clients, and are always looking to drum up a market. Some, like the Scott Boras types, and the Drew Rosenhaus types, are very good at this.

I doubt that any agent would ever promise such a thing to any team. They will use that phone conversation from the team to create a "buzz". like Spermy posted above.

[bitonti]

a reach is only a reach if he busts

[Stonehands]

First off I was pleased with the Jets draft but like a lot of people I feel like they reached on a few of their picks while teams like the Bills took a player WAYYYY ahead of where anybody could have expected with their first pick

I understand that deciding if a team "reached" or not can be debated on many points but then you get guys who go two, three, or four rounds earlier than anticipated which doesn't add up so I was wondering...

what are the chances that teams are contacting these players' agents and saying "listen, your guy will probably get taken in round six or seven with such and such a dollar value to sign for. If we take your guy earlier, can you promise us a smooth contract negotiation since he'll clearly be getting better money from us in rd. 4 as opposed to a being picked in rd. 6 or 7"

Just a thought that might explain some of these otherwise unexplainable reaches IMO.

Signability is a non-factor outside the first round. All the salaries are slotted.

[AFJF]

Signability is a non-factor outside the first round. All the salaries are slotted.

I realize that, but isn't it the case every year that some players are signed quickly after the draft while others drag out negotiations for every red cent?

I know it's the job of the agnet to get his player the best deal but wouldn't an agent be foolish not to realize that if a team is willing to take a guy several rounds before they normally would then that IS the best deal?

The best contract an agent can get his player in the 6th or 7th round will always be beaten out by an "okay" 3rd or 4th round contract.

[AFJF]

a reach is only a reach if he busts

To a degree I say youre right. However, if the Texans had passed on Reggie Bush in round one and selected Andre Hall with the #1 overall pick in the draft, I think most would call that a reach no matter what the guy went on to do in the NFL.

[LionelRichie]

i think signability with late rd picks only applies to contract duration. didn't the jets have a guy a couple years ago who would only sign a 2-year deal?

[serphnx]

The whole reach thing is silly, because the media doesn't know other team's draft boards. If we took Gacon, we'd have "reached" for him, but he wasn't available for when we probably woulda taken him. It's even more ridiculous to claim a team reached when the player is projected to go later that round, and the media says that team should have traded down. There's no guarantee that theres a team that would trade, and theres no guarantee that the player is still available. You look at the overall draft, and see how the players turned out. You shouldn't care too much where players are taken after the 2nd or 3rd rounds. The talent is pretty much the same then, and it all depends on how your team specifically evaluated the player.

[Stonehands]

I realize that, but isn't it the case every year that some players are signed quickly after the draft while others drag out negotiations for every red cent?

I know it's the job of the agnet to get his player the best deal but wouldn't an agent be foolish not to realize that if a team is willing to take a guy several rounds before they normally would then that IS the best deal?

The best contract an agent can get his player in the 6th or 7th round will always be beaten out by an "okay" 3rd or 4th round contract.

The Jets have not had a draft pick hold out in over 10 years.

[mbn007]

i think signability with late rd picks only applies to contract duration. didn't the jets have a guy a couple years ago who would only sign a 2-year deal?

The Def. Lineman from Miami?

[Savage69]

The Def. Lineman from Miami?

That would be 5th round choice Matt Walters I presume..

[AFJF]

The Jets have not had a draft pick hold out in over 10 years.

Which is exactly why I included Buffalo in the example. I'm not asking if this is something that pertains or could pertain to the Jets...I was referring to all teams in the NFL. Any team that takes a player earlier (by several rounds, not a few slots) than anybody expected based on production in college, combines, injury history, etc....

[Sperm Edwards]

Which is exactly why I included Buffalo in the example. I'm not asking if this is something that pertains or could pertain to the Jets...I was referring to all teams in the NFL. Any team that takes a player earlier (by several rounds, not a few slots) than anybody expected based on production in college, combines, injury history, etc....

Exactamundo. Let's say a player is expected to be drafted in rounds 5-7 (4 if someone REALLY fell in love with him; read: Anthony Schlegel, Eric Smith). You are picking now in round 3. You get the SAME PLAYER(S) YOU COVET, AND a greater talent player by not reaching in value early-on.

e.g. (pretend we didn’t do that stupid trade down to pick up an extra 7th-rounder so we could select a DT that probably would’ve been there anyway as an UDFA):

We drafted:

#71 (#76) Schlegel

#97 Eric Smith

#106 Brad Smith

#118 Leon Washington

instead of:

#71 Brian Calhoun

#97 Schlegel

#106 Brad Smith

#118 Eric Smith

Net difference = Brian Calhoun instead of Leon Washington. (Don’t even go there that Washington is the better talent of the two as of draft-day.)

Hopefully it all works out anyway. But you don't draft a playerr 2-3 rounds before he's expected to go off the board. I like the Pociask pick in round 5; I'd like it better if we took him in round 6-7; I'd hate it if we took him in round 3.